A number of techniques have been proposed or suggested for improving the access time for Internet resources. Initially, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) responded by offering users Internet access services with ever increasing bandwidth. In the residential marketplace, for example, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) and cable Internet services have become commonplace. It has been observed, however, that the bandwidth demands of many user applications have increased in proportion to the increased available bandwidth. Thus, there has been little, if any, effective increase in experienced access times.
The inefficient use of bandwidth is particularly problematic in a bandwidth-limited system, such as a wireless network, where the frequency spectrum is typically regulated by government agencies. As users increasingly access the Internet using wireless devices, such as handheld computing devices from Palm, Inc. and Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry), the need for Internet access techniques that make efficient use of the available bandwidth is even more apparent. In addition, to satisfy the bandwidth demands of most users, there is a strong need for wireless Internet access techniques that can deliver a large volume of electronic media with acceptable throughput and quality, notwithstanding the spectrum limitations and the dynamic nature of wireless communication channels.